Poularde à la Favorite

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-quart narrow stockpot with lid
• •Kitchen string and two small poultry skewers
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Whisk
• •Warm oval serving platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the poaching liquor

   Put the chicken stock, onion, carrot, celery, bouquet garni, half the salt, and half the white pepper into a narrow stockpot large enough to hold the poularde. Bring the liquid just to a simmer, then lower the heat while you prepare the bird. A narrow pot gives you proper depth without demanding the stockpot that never went cold in the old kitchen.

   Use unsalted stock. The poaching liquor will be reduced for the sauce, and a stock that tastes properly salted now can become punishing later.
2. 2

   Stuff and truss

   Season the cavity lightly with some of the remaining salt and white pepper. Spoon in the Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256), prepared only three-quarters cooked as its own formula directs. Fill the cavity loosely, never packing it tight, because the rice must have room to finish cooking and absorb its cream inside the bird. Close the opening with two small skewers and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Stuff only when the poaching liquor is ready, then cook at once.

3. 3

   Poach at a tremble

   Lower the poularde breast-side up into the hot stock. The liquid should reach at least three-quarters of the way up the bird; add only as much measured water as needed. Cover the surface with a cartouche, a round of parchment, and leave the pot lid slightly ajar. Hold the liquid between 180 and 185°F (82 and 85°C), where it barely trembles, for 70 to 90 minutes. If the bird is not submerged, turn it carefully after 35 minutes. It is done when both the deepest part of the thigh and the centre of the rice reach 165°F (74°C). If the meat is ready but the rice is cooler, cover and continue gently. Never raise the heat to hurry it. Lift the poularde out, let it drain, and hold it loosely covered on a warm platter while you make the sauce.

   A hard boil contracts the breast and clouds the liquor. If the pot begins rolling, pull it half off the burner until it settles, then return it over lower heat.
4. 4

   Build the sauce suprême

   Strain 4 cups (960 ml) of the poaching liquor through a fine sieve and skim away surface fat. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook this roux blond, a pale butter-and-flour foundation, for 2 minutes without letting it brown. Add the hot liquor gradually, whisking each addition smooth before the next. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming as needed, until reduced by roughly one-third. Add all but the reserved tablespoon of cream and hold the sauce at the barest simmer for another 10 minutes, until it is nappant, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon in a smooth veil. A hard boil dulls sauce suprême flat. If it becomes lumpy, whisk firmly and strain it; if it catches, pour the clean sauce into a fresh pan without scraping the bottom. If excessive heat makes it look grainy, lift it from the stove and whisk in the reserved cold cream. Ça se rattrape. Off the heat, whisk in 3 more tablespoons of cold butter, one piece at a time, followed by the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the salt and white pepper.

   The sauce should flow slowly from the spoon and leave an even ivory coat. If it tightens too far, loosen it with poaching liquor one tablespoon at a time.
5. 5

   Warm the garnish

   Warm the prepared cocks' combs and rognons de coq in 1 cup (240 ml) of the remaining poaching liquor at a bare simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, then drain them thoroughly. Melt the final tablespoon of butter in a small pan, add the garnishes and ½ cup (120 ml) of sauce suprême, and turn them gently until glazed. Remove the pan from the heat and add the truffle slices for 30 seconds, just long enough to take off their chill without spending their perfume.

6. 6

   Dish and coat

   Remove the string and skewers, then settle the whole poularde on a warmed oval platter. Spoon sauce suprême over the breast and legs so it coats rather than buries the bird. Arrange the glazed cocks' combs, kidneys, and truffle slices generously around it, then serve the remaining sauce in a warmed sauceboat. Carve at the table and give each person some rice from the cavity, sauce, and a share of the garnish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde is a plump young hen raised for tenderness and a fine layer of fat. If your butcher cannot obtain one, buy a broad-breasted young hen of the same weight. Technique first, always; a modest bird poached attentively is better than a rare one bullied by boiling stock.
• •The cocks' combs and rognons de coq define the Favorite garnish. Order them fully cleaned and cooked from a specialist poultry or charcuterie supplier; preserved or frozen prepared garnishes are the classical pantry doing its proper work. Cleaning raw combs is lengthy brigade labor, and this recipe does not ask a lone cook to reproduce it.
• •Use a fresh black truffle when the season and purse agree. A good whole preserved black truffle is the honest alternative, but drain it well before slicing. Truffle-flavored oil does not replace the texture or quiet aroma of the slices.
• •Do not brown the poularde under a broiler. The pale, tender skin and ivory sauce belong together, and a salamander would only disguise the poaching you worked to control.
• •Serve with a dry white Burgundy or another full, restrained Chardonnay. The wine needs enough body for cream and truffle, but little oak sweetness.

Advance Preparation

• •The Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) may be prepared earlier the same day through its three-quarter cooking stage, cooled promptly, covered, and refrigerated. Bring it back to lukewarm before stuffing, and poach the bird immediately.
• •The prepared cocks' combs and kidneys may be rinsed, drained, and refrigerated in a covered container one day ahead. Slice the truffle shortly before warming the garnish so its aroma stays with the dish.
• •Do not stuff the raw poularde in advance. The bird and rice should meet only when the poaching liquor is ready.
• •The roux ingredients, cream, garnish, and serving pieces can be measured and arranged several hours ahead. Once finished with cream and butter, sauce suprême should be served promptly and reheated only over very gentle heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 560g)